the californian, winter 2009

Winter 2009 THE CALIFORNIAN1

The official newsletter of California Future Business Leaders of AmericaVolume 61, Issue 2 • Winter 2009

Fuel Your Membership!

Adviser Appreciation

Interview Success

Winter 2009 THE CALIFORNIAN 2

STATE NEWS

Further, your state officers have put to-gether How-To Guides to assist you in areas such as marketing FBLA to the community, finding a guest speaker, and securing an adviser. Visit the Docu-ment Library of cafbla.org to download the guides and read through the useful information. We are in the process of getting a Best Practices Resource Guide compiled with tips on membership re-cruitment, community service, business development, fundraisers, and socials.

We have worked towards raising money for the March of Dimes with a total of $2000 raised from the two Leadership Development Institutes this year and hope to increase the amount we raise for this organization to exceed the $14,000 we raised last year! Help us fight for the health of babies by participating in our cause.

With that, I challenge you to continue to Fuel your Future! I’ll see you all at the 2010 State Leadership Conference in Irvine!

In Leadership, Kavya Shankar

President’s Corner

Ha p p y Holidays, Cal i for-

nia FBLA! As we approach the holiday season, let’s all make a New Year’s Reso-lution to work towards the suc-cess of our individual FBLA chapters as well as California FBLA!

The state officers have been hard at work in membership, member resources, and service. For membership, I am proud to announce that California FBLA has won the award for the “Largest Increase in FBLA State Chapter Membership” in the nation, with 919 more members at this time of year compared to last year. State officers have been compiling member-ship recruitment tips and have been meeting with chapters that have newly established to ensure that all chapters have the tools to grow and succeed.

Questions or comments about this publication?

David MaoPublic Relations Officer

California FBLALos Osos High School6001 Milliken AvenueAlta Loma, CA 91739

Your 2009-10 State Officer TeamKavya ShankarState President

Alissa SongState Vice President (Bay)

Imran NooraliState Vice President (Central)

Devang SampatState Vice President (Gold Coast)

Linxi WuState Vice President (Inland)

Miguel PuentesState Vice President (Northern)

Erik NguyenState Vice President (Southern)

Panos KanellakopoulosState Secretary-Treasurer

David MaoState Public Relations Officer

Cathy XuState Parliamentarian

Table of ContentsRunning For Office........................................................................................... 3CAFBLA Links...................................................................................................4Fuel Your Membership...................................................................................4Business Trends................................................................................................5California State Council.................................................................................5Cooper at a Glance........................................................... ...............................6FBLA Deadlines................................................................................................. 7Seven Tips and Skills for Interview Success............................................8Mastering the California Awards Program..............................................8Brief History of FBLA ....................................................................................9The People Behind F, B, L, and A.................................................................9Ten Ways to Show Your Advisers You Care!........................................... 10Marketing FBLA to the Community........................................................... 11Chapter Headlines.......................................................................................... 12

Fuel Your Future!


STATE NEWS

at your booth, and help you prepare campaign materials. Also, recruit a large group of FBLA members to sup-port you at your booth.

4. If you are running for section or state office, you also should look into preparing campaign materials. Bro-chures, candy, pens or pencils, and oth-er giveaways not only attract others to your booth, but they give them some-thing to remember you by! Items like pencils or pins need to be customized and ordered online. Depending on how much you plan on buying, you should carefully budget where your campaign money goes. The amount of each item that you need varies dramatically with each conference, but in previous years 150-300 units of each item is a safe es-timate. Finally, try to raise campaign

funds by asking your chapter for support or by fundraising.

5. Final stretch! Fa-miliarize yourself with the election process. At the open-ing ceremony, your campaign manager will give an intro-ductory speech on your behalf, and you

will give your pitch to the entire mem-bership. Throughout the conference, you will talk to members individually as they come to your booth. Later, you will attend the voting delegate session where you will give one final pitch and answer any questions the delegates have before voting. So get your speech ready, prepare for the question-and-answer caucus, and get some shut-eye the night before.

6. On the day of the election, talk to every member, not just voting dele-gates, and smile. Good luck!

1. Decide which position you’re run-ning for. Is it a local, section, or state position? What talents make you espe-cially suited for your desired position? For instance, thrifty individuals might make good treasurers while tech-sav-vy members might find their niche in public relations, tech manager, or his-torian. Also think of what goals you could accomplish in this position. You should compile these ideas into a plat-form, or an agenda, that you present to set yourself apart from the competi-tion. Also tie these ideas into a cam-paign theme or slogan that members can associate you with!

2. Get the application and find out the deadlines. Around this time, several applications for section and state level positions should already be available, since elections take place at the respec-tive conferences. This application is part of the screen-ing process; after the applications come in, you will be interviewed by the section or state team to determine whether you are eligible to run for office. If you are applying to section or state office, having held local office is a requirement. Most applications ask for a few short answer questions and your resume. Make your resume more competitive by participating in state projects or being part of the California State Council!

3. If you are running for section or state office, you will need a campaign manager. This should be a creative and charismatic individual who knows you well. He or she will speak on your be-half before your speech, represent you

Running For Office

By Cathy Xu

Attention Future Business LEAD-ER! Yes, you! This quick quiz could change YOUR future, so

grab a pen and get ready answer these three questions:

1.Is FBLA your favorite extra-curricular activity?A.YesB.NoC.Um, it’s up there . . . I guess?

2.How do you feel about the way FBLA is currently run?A.It’s great, but there’s definitely room for improvement and more efficiency!B.Meh.C.Um, it’s ok . . . I guess?

3.Fill in the blank: Service, Education, _______A.Progress!B.Character? Leader? Integrity? Some-thing like that.C.Um??

If you answered A to one or more of the above, we think you have FBLA offi-cer potential! By running for office, you give yourself the opportunity to make huge changes to the way FBLA is run. Also, officers speak on stage at confer-ences, lead workshops, and You never know if you will succeed until you try.

The decision to run for office should be made early. Whether it be local, section, or state office, it is in your advantage to leave yourself enough time to fully de-velop your platform and campaign.

Here’s a helpful checklist to make sure that you’re ready by the time elections roll around:

Don’t let anything catch you unprepared!


STATE NEWS

points, and earning a certain number will result in a prize at the end of the year. Usually completion of about 75% of opportunities should earn a reward. The incentives can be anything and ev-erything. For example, at my local chap-ter, members who earn 1000 points by the end of their senior year, are awarded an FBLA sash to wear at the graduation ceremony. Other options include gift cards, FBLA swag, and raffle tickets to a large prize such as an iPod. Of course, there is always that intrinsic motiva-tion – the pride of having accomplished

something, or learning a new skill.

Remember to also al-ways thank members for their participation. Throw a surprise piz-za party, have a movie night, anything to make them feel special, and

proud of their decision to join the Fu-ture Business Leaders of America.

tire world is run like a business. Show them how they can demonstrate their technical prowess and future job pro-ficiency through competitive events, as well as show a more humanitarian side through state projects such FBLA Goes Green and March of Dimes. For those who wish to simply have fun, describe the adventure and thrill of attending a leadership conference. Show every po-tential member how joining would be one of the best decisions of his/her life. These same pitches can also be used to remind members why they joined in the first place, and they will ensure their continued support and participa-tion in the organization.

Once a solid member-ship foundation is cre-ated, your chapter can rise to the top! Encour-age participation in all events by once more telling each mem-ber how his/her involvement will ben-efit him/her such as gaining volunteer hours, or learning new skills. Another effective way is to create a point and incentive system, where participation in various events earns a set amount of

Fuel Your Membership

by Devang Sampat

FBLA has such a wide variety of programs that sometimes we for-get what makes the organization

so amazing, our members. Without you there would be no one to win compe-titions, complete state and national projects, and make our name known throughout the business community. Therefore, membership recruitment should be one of the top priorities of every chapter.

You should not only recruit members, but retain them as well. To maximize ef-ficiency, your chapter should have varied pitches to give to different groups. Sell it not as just another club on campus, but an organization that is the stepping-stone to achieving your life goals. For those who wish to enter the business world, sell the experience, connections, and internships that FBLA provides. For those who feel that they will never be affected by business, and therefore have no reason to join, explain how the en-

CAFBLA Links

Make sure to check out these important California FBLA links!

California FBLA official website: www.cafbla.org

California FBLA Twitter: http://twitter.com/cafbla

California FBLA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2231732099

California FBLA Forum: http://cafbla.prophpbb.com/ Best Practices Resource Packet Submission: http://bit.ly/4RkjGu

“Remember to always thank

members for their participation”


STATE NEWS

forced to develop new approaches to vie for the individual’s attention. Entities such as Wal-Mart, which successfully changed its approach towards consum-ers, have found increased success even as the economy went down. Now, as the national problems are growing rela-tively more stable, businesses will again

change to fit the economy. Changing is a fundamen-tal part of a s u c c e s s f u l business, and change will happen yet again in 2010; as future busi-ness leaders, we must also understand the intricate network of reactions and causes be-

tween the ways our nation’s individuals perceive things and the way businesses react. As we enter 2010, keep in mind significant world events, both old and new, and how businesses continuously react to them – these are prime exam-ples of the challenges that you will face when you enter the business world.

and slowly travelled across the sea, pub-lic figures across the globe were alarmed; in October, U.S. President Obama even declared the swine flu pandemic a “na-tional emergency.” The disease affected everyone in the U.S., whether directly or indirectly; even Kavya Shankar, our California FBLA State President, was infected by the malicious H1N1 virus, and fortunate-ly survived. As we enter 2010, we can safely say that the situation has relatively i m p r o v e d , due in part to the increased amount of information about the vi-rus and the production of a vaccine.

As public opinions change, businesses must follow. Because of these mo-mentous events, individuals have be-come more careful with their spending; thus, because businesses are inherently connected with the public, they were

Business TrendsBy David Mao

With 2009 coming to a close, it is quite striking to see just how different our society has

become in the past year. The first quar-ter of the year saw a continuation of the economic decline witnessed in late 2008; the DOW saw its lowest point at a shockingly low 6,469.95 in March of this year. Across the nation, people cried “depression,” and not a single per-son was unaware of the pending eco-nomic “disaster.” As a result, confidence in the economy declined, and individu-als became more conservative and cau-tious with their spending habits, even more than in 2008. Furthermore, due to globalization, economies across the seas also suffered. However, we can see now that the economic situation was not beyond repair; since then, the DOW has risen steadily, and with it, the na-tion’s economic situation.

After the lurid economic decline, it seemed that 2009 had met its quota of excitement; however, yet another catas-trophe hit the U.S. in April. The swine flu pandemic arrived, and due to the lack of information about the new virus, many were stricken with fear. As the vi-rus climbed up through North America

As future business leaders, we need to pay attention to current business trends too

California State CouncilThe California State Council members of 2009-10 have been chosen! Congratulations to:

Bay Section. . . . . . Central Section. Jasimine Xu, Los Altos High School. . . Joshua Suarez, Tracy High School Gold Coast Section.. . . . Inland SectionAndrew Aguilar, South El Monte High School. . Alap Patel, Ruben S. Ayala High School

Northern Section. . . . . Southern SectionAaron Yang, Maxwell High School. . . Brian Liao, Troy High School


STATE NEWS

in front of more people than he could have imagined assembled in one place. FBLA had prepared Cooper for a na-tional presence, for the ability to lead and interact on public scales that would have forced him into seizure only three years prior.

Overall, his experience in FBLA provided a number of invaluable things to Coo-per’s malleable young self. In addition to the practical skills associated with en-gaging with any size of group, individual to tens of thousands, he learned a new definition of responsibility, and the joy and rewarding nature of being a leader. Furthermore, for a kid coming from a town of 5,000 people, a much more en-compassing perspective was afforded, which aided in setting his goals, person-ally and professionally.

Cooper attributes his acceptance to Harvard University to his involvement

of individuals. He remembers the drip-ping fear present during his campaign, and the steady influx of confidence fol-lowing each conference. That year he participated at the National Leadership Conference in Denver (coincidentally his future home) and placed nationally in Business Calculations.Having fallen in love with FBLA, he chose to run for State Office. Cooper found the campaign trail the most fantastic learning and growing experience of his life to that point. He was forced to engage with individuals from across the state and speak in front of about 5,000 people. During his entire time in FBLA, being at the state conference became very valu-able and meaningful. Due to the ability to engage with such a diverse set of in-dividuals all similarly focused on the ex-ternal and future – on something larger – was life changing to him and helped him broaden his potential horizons.

That year Mrs. Barrett nearly forced Cooper to participate in the FBL com-petition. Her support propelled him to national victory, and he found him-self at the pinnacle of stage presence,

Cooper’s involvement in FBLA was accel-erated due to the constant support and influence from his advisor, Sue Barrett, and his parents. During his freshman year, he participated in competitions at both the section and state level and also attended the Leadership Development Institute. That year, at the insistence of Mrs. Barrett, Cooper ran for and was elected to the Colusa chapter treasurer position for the next year.

Prior to his involvement in FBLA Coo-per had had extremely limited public speaking experience. Friends drew him into FBLA, and he became comfortable in his ability to communicate effectively with individuals. However, as he began to play an increasingly greater public role in FBLA he was forced to expand his public speaking performance and stage presence. He attributes the fact that his self-confidence expanded exponentially during high school to his involvement in FBLA.

As a sophomore Cooper was elected Northern Section Secretary-Treasurer. He soon realized that instead of ad-dressing 40-50 chapter members during meetings, he would now be in front of a public group on the scale of hundreds

Cooper at a Glanceby Miguel Puentes

Chapter: Colusa FBLAYears of Involvement: 4Most Memorable Experience: Standing on stage at NLC during FBL awardsFavorite Competition: FBLPositions Held: Chapter Treasurer, Northern Section Treasurer, CA State Sec-retary-TreasurerAccomplishments: Running workshops at LDI, First Place at National FBLMiss the Most: Conferences; being surrounded by peersAdvice to FBLA members: You set your own limits. There is no one on this earth but you who can hold yourself back in this world. Remove the obstacles and excuses that you have put in place in your life to maintain the comfort of your existence and you are free. No matter how far you climb you have always yourself to fall back to.

“He learned a new definition of responsibility, and the joy and re-warding nature of being a leader.”


STATE NEWSand accomplishments in FBLA. He says that it gave him the drive, credentials, and skill set necessary to achieve acceptance and excel during his time at Harvard.

Cooper double-majored in Engineering Physics and Physics and graduated Magna Cum Laude with this degree. While at Harvard, Cooper received a patent for working in the Nanophotonics laboratory and was also heavily involved with the Business and Operations sides of Model United Nations. He calls this his FBLA replacement. “Running a conference was a familiar and rewarding experience, and my extensive involvement in FBLA served me directly in making MUN a success,” says Cooper.

He then founded the Harvard College Cu-linary Society and helped grow the orga-nization to be the single largest student body organization on campus in just two years. He believes all the years of cam-paigning and organizing came into play and allowed him to leave this legacy.

FBLA helped Cooper foster his interest in entrepreneurship. He had known for some time that he wished to do some-thing novel, to have a notable and mean-ingful impact on society, preferentially through technical advance. A long-time mentor introduced Cooper to the ven-ture capital world during his junior year at Harvard; he used this connection to earn a consulting role at a startup com-pany (Foro Energy) during the last half of his senior year. Cooper become intensely interested in the growing energy crisis and environmental and social impacts of a hydrocarbon-based fuel supply during his time at Harvard and hoped to influ-ence this particular area of international concern. Foro, the company he earned a consulting role in, planned to develop a novel drilling technology to enable eco-nomical geothermal wells for base load power supply.

Following graduation Cooper moved to Denver, Colorado, to work full time for Foro as a scientist. He’s currently a Project Manager for the company.

“FBLA provided me with the means to accomplish my entrepreneurial desires and the early-boost in perspective which opened the world to me. I question whether any of the successes about which I can currently boast would have happened without FBLA.” – Cooper

PS: shout-out to Mrs. Barrett, Colusa High FBLA, and, of course, my sister Mimi, who is smarter, more likeable, and has more potential than I.

FBLA DatesJanuary 8 - Section Officer Applications due

January 15 - Skills Events Request Deadline (Section)

February 1 - State Leadership Conference online regristration opens

February 3 - Membership deadline for Section Leadership Conference

February 3 - Professional Members Membership deadline for recognition

February 7-14 - FBLA-PBL Week

February 9 - Skills events due to section directors

February 10 - Adviser Appreciation Day

February 12 - Various state competitions due

February 27 - Section Leadership Conference (Bay, Central, Inland)

March 1 - BAA Deadline

March 1 - State / National Officer Applications due

March 6 - Section Leadership Conference (Gold Coast, Northern, Southern)

March 12 - Skills Events Request Deadline

March 19 - State Project Forms Due

March 25 - Completed skills events due

March 25 - SLC Hotel Reservations Due

March 29 - LCABR, POW, BAA Chapter, and Gold Seal due

For all dates, please visit http://bit.ly/6Ox37J


STATE NEWS

to help you practice by holding mock interviews, and treat it as if it were the real thing.

As you go through interviews over your lifetime, you will start to see a trend in particular questions. If you prepare ahead of time, you will not waste any time fumbling with your words trying to come up with an answer. But remem-ber, do not memorize your prepared answers.

Be Confident: This is the moment you have prepared for awhile. There is no reason to back down in fear now. Remain confident and everything will go well. Also, it is important to show the interviewer that you are a confident person. Stand tall, make eye contact, and give firm handshakes.

Articulate! With all of the pressure and nervousness we feel before and during an interview, we become flustered and our words can come out very quickly. It is important to remain articulate when you speak. This means to say every word as slow and clear as possible.

Enthusiasm! During interviews, we may face stressful situations. However, it is important to be enthusiastic; stay upbeat and give positive statements. By being enthusiastic, you show the interviewer that you have the upmost interest in being a part of the organization/company.

Seven Tips and Skills for Interview Success

By Imran Noorali

Interviews are always tough. Whether it is a phone, dinner, or face-to-face interview, we find ourselves in loss for words

or just overcome with nervousness. Utilize the following sev-en tips and you will be on your way to interview success.

Be Punctual! Always arrive early for interviews. By doing so, you show the interviewers that you are genuinely inter-ested in being selected or hired. Remember, fifteen minutes early is leader time.

Do Your Research: Researching background information on employers is a crucial element for interview preparation. Interviewers will more often than not ask you about the com-pany to see if you are familiar with its function/purpose.

Be Yourself! An interview should feel as if it is a conversa-tion. Don’t memorize the answers you plan to give. If you do so, you will sound mechanical just as you would while giving a speech. Be yourself and go with the flow of the interview.

Practice Makes Better: Just as you would for anything else, an interview is no exception to practice. Ask your friends

Everyone’s goal in the competitive realm is to be the last one stand-ing on stage during the Awards

Ceremony, but with a state chapter that typically has over one thousand indi-viduals competing, what does it take to be successful? Here are some quick tips for success so that you can conquer the California Awards Program.

1.Choose a competitive event in an area that you are passionate about and that you think you would be able to do well in with practice. An appealing competi-tive event will help make the studying process a lot more engaging.

2.In preparation for the State Leader-ship Conference, finding a good textbook

and effectively utilizing it is critical. The textbook you use does not matter as much as the amount of time you spend learning the material in the textbook, particularly the glossary.

3.Take any old tests you or your chap-ter may have, as well as general multiple tests on google that relate to your com-petitive event subject.

4.Start studying well ahead of time so you aren’t cramming the night before.

All in all, study for competitions may seem tedious, but when you are on stage and you shake the state officer’s hand to receive your plaque, the hours you put in will be well worth it. Good

Mastering the California Awards ProgramBy Kavya Shankar

luck with your preparation and I hope to see you on stage this year at the 2010 State Leadership Conference in Irvine.

Jenny Wang from Homestead High School, who won 1st place in Intro-duction to Business at 2009 NLC, and Jennifer Koh from Homestead High School, who won 4th Place in Intro-duction to Business at NLC, were emitted from the competitive event recognition section of the last issue of The Californian due to a formatting error. The state officer team would like to take this time to congratulate their remarkable achievements!


STATE NEWS

Brief History of FBLA

By Panos Kanellakopoulos

Future Business Leaders of America- Phi Beta Lambda Inc is a national career technical student organiza-

tion with the main objective of teach-ing its members life skills. Founded by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner of Co-lumbia University in 1940, the first chapter was estab-lished on February 3, 1942 in Johnson City, Tennessee and Iowa was the first official state chapter. Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate level of FBLA, became a

separate division in 1958, while the Pro-fessional Division was formed in 1979. Wanting to expand even further, FBLA added the Middle School Level in 1994, in order to make the transition between middle school and high school life easier on the members.

Over the years, FBLA has been recognized by the As-sociation for Career and Technical Education, Inter-national Assembly for Col-legiate Business Education, National Association of Parliamentarians, National Association of Secondary

School Principals, National Business Education Association, and the U.S. De-partment of Education.

FBLA currently includes over 260,000 members nation wide, as well as chap-ters in Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Europe. There are also many publications distributed ev-ery year, such as the national publica-tion Tomorrow’s Business Leader and The Professional Edge, the national publication for professional members.

Some famous alumni FBLA include; Johnny Mathis (singer), Javaris Critten-ton (NBA basketball player), and Ronnie Musgrove (former Governor of Missis-sippi and former FBLA-PBL national of-ficer). Pat Nixon, President Nixon’s wife, was an FBLA adviser during her years as a high school teacher. Who knows? Perhaps your name will be the next one on this list!

The People Behind F, B, L, and A

By Alissa Song

I cannot imagine my high school ca-reer without FBLA. I have been in-volved in chapter projects, achieved

state projects, competed at the na-tional level, and even progressed to be-come an officer of the State Leadership Team. These experiences are all invalu-able to my future in the real world. However, when I go beyond all of this, what has really left a lasting impact on me is the peo-ple I have met, worked with, and befriended throughout my FBLA journey.

There is one FBLA memory that is the epitome of what this orga-

nization represents to me: February 19, 2009. This day marked the large scale environmental awareness fair that I had worked with my co-chair and our entire Project Greenlight team to ar-chitect as the culmination of our year-long partnership with the American Automobile Association. Although the event was stupendous, what really stood out to me most was its prequel. We called a team meet-ing ten minutes before the start of the event; every team member put their hands in for a final break before our grand opening. In those ten seconds, I

looked around the circle, and that is when it hit me. Throughout just one year, the unfamiliar faces that had entered our first project meeting had transformed into people who were now a tremen-dous part of my life. In

those ten seconds, we shared a bond of

friendship, purpose, and unity. It is dif-ficult to express the emotional impact of that moment in words, but it was one that completely transformed my experience in FBLA.

There are so many reasons to strive for excellence through FBLA: the excite-ment of conferences, the expansion of business background, and leadership growth as an individual. Everyone is at a different stage of their FBLA jour-ney. Be sure to utilize this organiza-tion as an opportunity to sharpen the skills that will Fuel Your Future. How-ever, FBLA doesn’t conclude with high school. The friendships you build along the way will continue to impact you far beyond your high school career. My advisers, my teammates, and the peo-ple who stood beside me on February 19th have played a vital role in shaping the person I am today. They are my en-couragement and support, the people behind the letters F, B, L, and A.

“In those ten seconds, we shared a bond of friendship, purpose,

and unity”


STATE NEWS

Ten Ways to Show Your Advisers

You Care!by Linxi Wu

With Sectional Conferences and Adviser Appreciation Day coming up on February

10th, 2011 is ripe with occassions for you to show your advisers some love. For all the sacrifices they make to make your chapter run smoothly, they cer-tainly deserve appreciation. Although most advisers put in the hours out of unconditional love, a little reminder of their irreplaceable role to your chap-ter can brighten up their day. Finally, for adviser appreciation, it is truly the thought that counts. Do not worry about spending extravagant amounts for an expensive gift; it is all about the message. If you do have to spend some money, try to divide it up amongst the members or the officers. If everyone contributes $5, you will have more than enough money to create a memo-rable gift. Below are 10 low-budget ideas to consider: 1. Morning TreatsFind out when your adviser usually gets to school. Buy your adviser some coffee and doughnuts. Get the custo-dians or another teacher to open up your adviser’s room in the morning and leave the morning treats on their desk with a thank you note. 2. A Day of LoveHave every officer write a thank you letter. Buy some candy to go with each of the letters. Package the candy with the letters, whether in an envelope or a paper bag, and have the person who wrote the letter deliver it to the adviser, one package per period. This way, your

adviser will be showered with love the entire day. Encourage your officers to include in their thank you letters a personal memory with your adviser. These memories will make the letters more endearing and interesting. 3. Poster SurpriseMake at least 20 posters with vari-ous messages to your adviser. After your adviser has left afterschool. Get a custodian or another teacher to open up the classroom so you can put the plaster the posters all over. When your adviser comes in the next morning, they will be pleasantly surprised by a roomful of color. Do not forget to leave a thank you letter on their desk while you are at it. If you are feeling extra thankful, you might also add in helium balloons.

Careful to get the balloons in the morning or they might deflate. 4. Sing Song SillinessWrite up a song or a rap for your adviser. Try to include some of your memories from a conference or a trip in the lyrics. Make copies of the lyrics for your members and perform it dur-ing a meeting. Be sure to record your adviser’s reactions! 5. FBLA FunPurchase some accessories or supplies from the official FBLA Marketplace: http://www.fblamarketplace.com/ as gifts. There are FBLA flashdrives, FBLA mugs, and even FBLA candy jars! 6. Car WashThis can be a little tricky in terms of timing, but try it out. Find out what car your adviser drives. Organize a few members to wash it. Leave a note on the windshield. For example, “We hope we saved you some work. We love you! -LOHS FBLA”

7. Telling T-shirtsMake your adviser a t-shirt with a message. Get creative, get funky! It can be something that commends them: “Certified Awesome” (with the officers signatures), or an FBLA related joke: “Curfew Queen.” Leave a message on the back of the t-shirt, and “force” your adviser to wear for the whole day! 8. In the SpotlightSubmit an application for the Charles Dee Cox Outstanding Local Chapter Adviser award. You will need to fill out a simple information sheet and solicit 3 letters of recommendation for your adviser. The judging is based on years of involvement in FBLA and the level of involvement. This award begins at the section level. You can find more information about this award at http://cafbla.org/Library%20Documents/2009%20CAP/Outstand-ing%20Local%20Chapter%20Adviser.pdf

9. Album GaloreCreate a scrapbook or a simple album of pictures for your adviser. Collect any pictures members may have of your adviser, and go wild with decorations. Add in the inside jokes, the conference namebadges, and random quotes from members to make it even more mean-ingful. For a thoughtful twist, you can burn the pictures onto a CD and in-clude it in the package.

10. Dinner DelightTreat your adviser to have lunch or supper with members and officers! Make sure to reserve ahead of time, and pick a restaurant that your adviser will enjoy. Consider inviting your ad-viser’s family as well, because that will make for some intimate bonding time for your chapter.


STATE NEWS

Marketing FBLA to the Community

by Erik Nguyen

Why should you market FBLA to the community? The answer to that question is

quite simple. Just take a moment to think about all of the potential ben-efits you could receive from the com-munity.

Whether it’s one-on-one business re-lationships, or a partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce, or spon-sorships, the possibilities are endless if you know how to market your chap-ter to the public. In order to take full advantage of these potential partner-ships, you first have to think about how you will market yourself.

How to marketThere is no clear-cut way to market a chapter to the community, sim-ply because every chapter is differ-ent. There are many factors that play a role in an effective market-ing strategy, from how long a chapter has been around, to how many members it has. While more established chapters might have a better time at this, there is no rea-son for a newer or small chapter to be deterred by its size. Often times the benefits a smaller chapter receives are significantly better than the benefits

that larger chapters receive. These next four steps should help any chap-ter, new or old, market themselves to their community effectively. 1. Know your target market and identify benefitsJust like in any new business, the first thing you want to do is identify your target market. Everyone’s community is comprised of different businesses and groups. Your target could be a small business to work with for the Partnership with Business project, a Rotary Club to do service activities with, or a Chamber of Commerce to find internship and sponsorship op-portunities. Once you choose a target market, identify what you want from them and what your chapter can of-fer in return. Remember: networking is always double-sided, so you must be able to provide your target market with something in return for its help. If the proposed relationship benefits both parties, they are far more likely to consider it.

2. Be activeAfter identifying your target market and figuring out what benefits you can of-fer them, focus on having a presence in the community. This could be as simple as displaying the FBLA logo at all your events

around your community, or as intense as designing bumper stickers and sending copies of your chapter news-letter to local businesses. Another ac-tivity chapters could do is to contact their Chamber of Commerce and ask to attend or help out with local mixers.

This is a great way to show your pres-ence and maybe hand out a few busi-ness cards. Businesses definitely want to see youth active in the community, and will look well upon any organiza-tion that actively participates in their community.

3. Make your presentationPrepare some sort of presentation to give to give to your target audience. This could be a PowerPoint, or a simple display board. You want to get across your message in the best way possible. Call the business or organization to set up a meeting and find out what is pro-vided in terms of facilities. Rehearse your presentation a few times. Be sure to make your goal and your benefits clear. On the day of the presentation, be dressed in your formal attire and arrive about 10-15 minutes early to make a good impression.

4. Follow upRegardless of what happens at the meeting, take the time to follow up with the business. Thank them for the opportunity to meet with a handwrit-ten note, and if they said no, try asking them their reason for saying no so you can improve for next time. If they said yes, make sure to follow through with your promise and commitment.

Additional informationDon’t be scared to attempt to contact other organizations. It doesn’t hurt to try and the benefits are definitely worth it. Marketing your chapter is the next step. If you want additional information, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or go to the cafbla.org website and download the “How to Market FBLA” Guide.

“Oftentimes, the ben-efits a smaller chapter

receives are signifi-cantly better than the

benefits that larger chapters receive”


Chapter Headlines

Sutter Union High School Future Business Leaders of America held the 1st Annual ‘Hands of Hope Walk-athon’ on November 19, 2009, to raise money for the Yuba City Hands of Hope “Teen Room” that they will

be designing for this year’s Community Service Project. Twenty-eight chapter members participated in the walkathon at the Sutter High track raising an astonishing $845.

FBLA members and officers gathered at the starting line on the track, during their lunch, and had 10 minutes to run/walk as many laps as they could. The member/officer who fin-ished with the most laps received a “movie night” themed gift basket from Sutter FBLA. This was just one of many fundraisers that Sutter High FBLA has planned for Yuba City Hands of Hope.

STATE NEWS

Sutter Union High School Ben Bogert, Public Relations Officer

Rancho Cotate High School Alexis Montgomery, Public Relations Officer

On September 27, Rancho Cotate High School’s FBLA joined forces with the environmental club for a beach clean up at Salmon Creek. The clean-up was a success, and after about one hour of searching the

coast the team proved victorious with multiple bags of trash. Then there was lunch: members dispersed into the dunes to eat and socialize. After lunch, the team stayed at the beach for about an hour while interacting through playing football, making sand castles, and having a good time. “There was more to this event than cleaning the beach,” Rancho Cotate FBLA Vice President Waiyee Tam said. “I wanted the members to get to know each other, and I wanted FBLA to develop a relationship with other school-wide organizations. I think we accomplished both.”

Did your chapter do something special too? Send your chapter press releases to [email protected]!


Bay Breeze THE

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Inside this Issue

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Happy Holidays, Bay Section FBLA!

Best wishes for this Holiday Season. Alissa Song

Write for the

Bay Breeze!

It was excellent getting the opportunity to meet many of you at OAT Day and the Leadership Development Institute – North. I hope you had a blast at these conferences! Throughout the next several months, I encourage you to continue working hard in achieving chapter projects, state projects, and our section project Champions of Bay.

Competitions season is also gearing up, so be sure to get those study resources ready! I am excited to see everyone on February 27 at Lynbrook High School for this year’s Bay Section Leadership Conference!

SALMON CREEK CLEAN UP By Alexis Montgomery

On September 27, Rancho Cotate High School FBLA joined forces with the environmental club for a beach clean up at Salmon Creek. The clean up was a success, and after about one hour of searching the coast the team proved victorious with multiple bags of trash. For lunch, members dispersed into the dunes to eat and socialize. Afterwards, the team stayed at the beach for about an hour to play football, make sand castles, and have a good time! FBLA members were able to get to know each other better, as well as work with other school-wide organizations.

BUSINESS PLAN WORKSHOP By Angela Gu

On Saturday November 14, Monta Vista FBLA held its 6th Annual Business Plan Workshop in conjunction with DECA, another business organization on campus. Members of Bay Section FBLA were all invited to attend an engaging series of workshops held by the Venture Capital Private Equity Roundtable of Silicon Valley on how to create effective business plans and hear from professionals in the business community. In addition to workshops on topics such as marketing and finance, members also had the opportunity to listen to company venture capitalist presentations from Loilo and Tigo Energy. This business plan workshop was once again a success as members learned and gathered information to take back with them and use on their own FBLA competitions.

SECTION NEWS


Your Bay Section

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RELAY FOR LIFE OF DALY CITY By Christine Kyauk

Westmoor FBLA participated in the Relay for Life of Daly City, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society held at Westmoor High School on August 1 and 2. This 24-hour event was a huge success, as FBLA members led teams, manned the registration tables, and helped set up and clean up. Members were able to enjoy the many entertainment acts in between volunteer shifts, which included bands such as Public Gluttony and Reeking Havoc. FBLA members Christine Kyauk, Richard Tai, Manuel Rapada, and Edric Kyauk were team captains of about ten people who fundraised over $1,000 per team. The Relay for Life served as a learning opportunity for FBLA members as well as an experience to enjoy with their friends. Overall, the Relay for Life of Daly City was a huge success as over 150 people from the community participated.

BAY SECTION CHAPTER UPDATES

Rancho Cotate Eric Lu

Rancho Cotate FBLA is already off to a great start with over 45 members. They are excited for their continued growth and FBLA's activities in this coming year."

Homestead High School Kathy Sun

Homestead FBLA has launched several committees: Public Speaking, Technology, Go Green, and Business Relations Development Committee. Their most recent volunteering event was Light the Night where members raised over $170 for leukemia.

Independence High School Debra Pacio

Independence High School FBLA hosted the annual Homecoming Tailgate Food Faire where they sold food before their homecoming football game. This was a great opportunity to promote FBLA.

Live Oak High School Roger Sanchez

The FBLA chapter sponsored the annual Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive. Cans and donations were collected in front of the local grocery stores. Over 5,000 cans were sorted, packed, and delivered along with a turkey to 125 needy families in the Morgan Hill Unified School District.

Monta Vista High School Angela Gu

To help members acquire some fundamental business skills, Monta Vista FBLA has been holding an Ozark Lollipop fundraiser for the past month. By allowing members to freely sell their lollipops to students on campus, many students were able to successfully gain profit to fund for their future FBLA conferences!

Petaluma High School Scott Vanderlind

Petaluma FBLA sold cookie dough to raise money for LDI North. PHS has planned its annual Holiday Fair and Petaluma Chapter FBLA intends to take full advantage of that to further raise money

The Harker School Jeffrey Tan

Harker FBLA started its annual online stock simulation with a total of 50 teams competing this year, including teams from the school's Economics classes and DECA chapter.

Westmoor High School Christine Kyauk

Westmoor FBLA is getting ready for the holidays! They will be selling winter glove grams and hosting a winter photo-op. Also, they will be holding their annual Winter Social.

Gunn High School Cynthia Hua

Gunn High School is having a chapter film festival about environmentalism.

Cupertino Middle School Sangeeta Mondal

Cupertino Middle School is creating a business plan for their very own student store.

Cupertino High School Michelle Lai

Cupertino High School helped plan the De Vargas Elementary School Pumpkin Festival and the downtown San Jose Christmas in the Park Festival. The chapter also visited the San Jose Mercury News office.

Los Altos High School Caleb An

Los Altos High School will be selling potstickers at their school Holiday Fair. A social was held to strengthen the bond between members, especially the upper and lower classmen.

SECTION NEWS


Central Section Connection Winter 2009

President’s Corner Hello Central Section, I just wanted to start off by congratulating the Central Sec t ion members tha t graduated both the Officer Adviser Training Day at Corcoran High School and the Leadership Development-North which was held in Santa Clara. You all are now closer to achieving the Central Section Perfect award which will be awarded at the State Conference. Speaking of the State Conference, the date for this conference has changed from the date originally posted. The state conference will be held in Irvine on April 15-18, 2010. Imran Noorali, Central Section President

OAT Day Recap Shelina Noorali | Executive Secretary

The Central Section has done it again! Indeed, this past October 3rd was truly a blast, and a great head start to fueling your futures! Seventeen schools were present, bright and early at the Corcoran High School Gym for the Officers’ Advisers’ Training Day (OAT). Imran Noorali, our section president, began the conference by welcoming all the chapters and introducing the section officers. After a quick presentation by the section director, Mr. Robert Franklin, and a run through of other preliminary agenda items, each officer presented a workshop on one of the state projects. Through informative yet brief PowerPoints, each officer was able to convey the project’s main points and benefits. As the conference went on, the energy was kept alive through icebreakers. Some of them included the “Get To Know Your Section” icebreaker as well as the teambuilding “Magic Carpet!” activity. Soon enough it was time for Round Table Discussion! Each section officer was assigned a topic to research that would not only benefit the chapters, but also other goals the members may have. Some of these topics included “Running for Section Office” and “Fundraising”. Members were instructed to attend three, twenty minute, Round Table Discussions. In addition, each workshop was complete with handouts and visual aids to better help the members. After an exciting “Boardwalk” activity,

courtesy of Corcoran High School FBLA, each chapter headed for lunch outside. Fantastic weather and enthusiastic students were also one of the many reasons for such a successful OAT Day! As lunch came to a close, and after our “Dum Dum Diddy” energizer, Imran and all the advisers attended a meeting. Stephanie Chamberlain, our section Vice President, conducted the FBLA Big Bucks Bingo for all of the remaining members. Through an energetic activity, and an informative PowerPoint, Stephanie was not only able to create a chapter bonding activity, but also individually prepare each member for his or her “Future” degree of the Business Achievement Award. Afterwards, members attended a workshop specifically for their chapter’s officer position. All of the members attending the workshop received an officer packet instructing him or her how to carry on their duties as a chapter officer. After a fun filled and informative day, each officer had successfully completed OAT Day! The graduation ceremony gave each member individual recognition for their positive efforts at OAT Day. Along with a certificate, each member received the FBLA national pin from NLC as a token of appreciation. Overall, this conference was more than just a success; it was an achievement for the Central Section as a whole. Together, as the Central Section officer team, we would like to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication as FBLA officers. We wish you all the best in your chapters and in your individual FBLA year!

Your Bay Section

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RELAY FOR LIFE OF DALY CITY By Christine Kyauk

Westmoor FBLA participated in the Relay for Life of Daly City, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society held at Westmoor High School on August 1 and 2. This 24-hour event was a huge success, as FBLA members led teams, manned the registration tables, and helped set up and clean up. Members were able to enjoy the many entertainment acts in between volunteer shifts, which included bands such as Public Gluttony and Reeking Havoc. FBLA members Christine Kyauk, Richard Tai, Manuel Rapada, and Edric Kyauk were team captains of about ten people who fundraised over $1,000 per team. The Relay for Life served as a learning opportunity for FBLA members as well as an experience to enjoy with their friends. Overall, the Relay for Life of Daly City was a huge success as over 150 people from the community participated.

BAY SECTION CHAPTER UPDATES

Rancho Cotate Eric Lu

Rancho Cotate FBLA is already off to a great start with over 45 members. They are excited for their continued growth and FBLA's activities in this coming year."

Homestead High School Kathy Sun

Homestead FBLA has launched several committees: Public Speaking, Technology, Go Green, and Business Relations Development Committee. Their most recent volunteering event was Light the Night where members raised over $170 for leukemia.

Independence High School Debra Pacio

Independence High School FBLA hosted the annual Homecoming Tailgate Food Faire where they sold food before their homecoming football game. This was a great opportunity to promote FBLA.

Live Oak High School Roger Sanchez

The FBLA chapter sponsored the annual Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive. Cans and donations were collected in front of the local grocery stores. Over 5,000 cans were sorted, packed, and delivered along with a turkey to 125 needy families in the Morgan Hill Unified School District.

Monta Vista High School Angela Gu

To help members acquire some fundamental business skills, Monta Vista FBLA has been holding an Ozark Lollipop fundraiser for the past month. By allowing members to freely sell their lollipops to students on campus, many students were able to successfully gain profit to fund for their future FBLA conferences!

Petaluma High School Scott Vanderlind

Petaluma FBLA sold cookie dough to raise money for LDI North. PHS has planned its annual Holiday Fair and Petaluma Chapter FBLA intends to take full advantage of that to further raise money

The Harker School Jeffrey Tan

Harker FBLA started its annual online stock simulation with a total of 50 teams competing this year, including teams from the school's Economics classes and DECA chapter.

Westmoor High School Christine Kyauk

Westmoor FBLA is getting ready for the holidays! They will be selling winter glove grams and hosting a winter photo-op. Also, they will be holding their annual Winter Social.

Gunn High School Cynthia Hua

Gunn High School is having a chapter film festival about environmentalism.

Cupertino Middle School Sangeeta Mondal

Cupertino Middle School is creating a business plan for their very own student store.

Cupertino High School Michelle Lai

Cupertino High School helped plan the De Vargas Elementary School Pumpkin Festival and the downtown San Jose Christmas in the Park Festival. The chapter also visited the San Jose Mercury News office.

Los Altos High School Caleb An

Los Altos High School will be selling potstickers at their school Holiday Fair. A social was held to strengthen the bond between members, especially the upper and lower classmen.

SECTION NEWS


Central Section Connection Winter 2009 Page 2

Hello Central Section! I am your Central Section Historian/Parliamentarian, Felipe Garcia. Like my good friend Shelina, I am a Sophomore; however, I go to Corcoran High School instead. I play sports like many others: football to be exact (Go Panthers); for those who know the game, I play quick/right guard. This year I am Corcoran’s chapter president, but I am also very active in other clubs. I am a part of our school’s Air Force Junior ROTC officer team where I am a Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. I am also a part of the leadership council for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). All that, and I still balance my grades…don’t worry I am not failing any courses. I hope to see you all at CSLC!

Hello FBLA! My name is Betsy Figueroa, your Central Section Treasurer this year. I am currently a Junior at Corcoran High School and it’s my third year in FBLA. I extremely enjoy meeting new people, shopping, dancing, and singing; even though I am not good at singing. I also like traveling and one day I plan to travel all around the world. I am totally looking forward to meeting all of you and together make FBLA the best ever!

Central Section Officer Elections By Felipe Garcia, Central Section Historian/ Parliamentarian

Do you have great ideas for FBLA, and wish you had the chance to implement them? Well, here is you chance, Central Section Elections are on their way, and you can run to make a difference. Here are four easy steps to reach your opportunity: 1. Fill out your Officer Application (posted on the California FBLA website)

2. Mail Officer Applications postmarked by January 8 to Mr. Franklin, Central Section Director

3. Come for an for interview at Monache High School, 960 North Newcomb St. Porterville, CA, on January 23, 2010, at 10:30 A.M. along with your adviser.

4. Campaign at the Central Section Leadership Conference, at Monache High School, on February 27.

Remember, elections are coming up; don’t miss your chance to make a difference!

Central Section Leadership Conference Preview

By Betsy Figueroa, Central Section Treasurer

Guess what FBLA? Central Section Leadership Conference is just around the corner. This year you can enjoy it in Monache High School, on February 27. Get ready to compete, to elect next year’s officers, and possibly win valuable prizes in our March of Dimes drawing. In addition, there will be lots of fun activities at the McDermott Field House that afternoon. So get ready because we want you to join us, win prizes, earn recognition, become a possible Central Section leader, and meet new and interesting people. Register today and we’ll see you there!!!

Upcoming Dates for 2010

January 8—Central Section Officer Applications postmarked January 23—Central Section Officer Candidate interviews February 9—Central Section Leadership Conference registration postmarked

February 27—Central Section Leadership Conference March 16—Central Section Projects due

Did You Know… By Patty Ma, Central Section

Recording Secretary

Anna Eshoo was once the Central Section President and is now the Pitman Co-adviser. Manteca High School FBLA was first activated in 1949. Our Central Section Director, Robert Franklin, has an adorable wiener dog named Gidget. Did you know we have three reactivated chapters: Tracy High School, Manteca High School, and Caesar E. Chavez High School in Delano, CA.

Betsy Figueroa

Felipe Garcia

SECTION NEWS


Chapters all across Southern California arrived at the Hyatt Regency Irvine on November 21 to attend the long anticipated 2009 Leadership Development Institute-South. The conference kicked off with guest s p e a k e r C a r y Trivanovich, who captured the atten-tion of his audience with engaging sto-ries and humor at the general session. Followed by the inspiring speech, members attended various workshops presented by the Section Offi-cers from public speaking to tips to college admissions, and even graphic design! Attendees let loose for an exciting evening of entertainment. California PBL members led the Grand Prix session with stimulating

icebreakers that sure rocked the members’ socks off and rallied the crowd to cheer “FB?!” “LA!” all night long. The Grand Prix was a fantastic

networking session to meet new friends and bond with old ones. The ballroom then opened its doors for hot Salsa dancing lessons taught by our very own section members from Charter Oak. Saturday night concluded on a high note

with the March of Dimes dance. Early Sunday morning, a test drive on written com-petitive events was given to

members, where they took sample tests to test their knowledge. Other members attended workshops on skill and presentation events. Everyone left with the knowl-edge that will defi-nitely fuel their

competitiveness at Section. The con-ference ended with

a breakfast buffet and clos-ing speech by Cary Trivanovich. While the memories and friends made at the conference were priceless; this is just the beginning. Exciting times are ahead of us. Members

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Going Green on a Whole New Level Yes, I recycle. I also have a food compost and hybrid, not to mention my reusable lunch box and water

bottle. But no, I do not just pull these out when it is time for me to complete the FBLA Go Green State Project; I go green every day. . In a world where going green is the new thing, it only makes sense for the future busi-ness leaders of America to follow along and do their part in saving our earth. The Gold Coast Goes Green Chapter Project was established to be environmentally conscious and

to work on increasing awareness and carbon reduction among the world’s upcoming business leaders. How can we fuel our future if we are not even (alternative) fueling our planet? And we wonder why our climate seems to be so erratic. . This section project will ensure that Gold Coast FBLA goes green every day. Chapters who complete the project will receive the first and only ribbon ever to be achieved at the section level: the Go Green ribbon. Chills should run down your spine at the thought of wearing the only rib-bon attainable at section, and saying to others: “Yeah, there’s only one

ribbon, and I got it.” Gold Coast FBLA, this is your call to action. Start i m p r o v i n g t o m o r r o w , today. More information is available for download on the Gold Coast blog; be sure to read the instructions carefully and complete each task diligently. Contact Leslie Chang at [email protected] for ques-tions.

G LDPOST

2009 December 7 Issue 2 Winter

Hello everyone! I hope the year is going well for you. For those who attended the Leader-ship Development Institute, I hope you had a blast; I know I did! If you were unable to attend, do not fret; we have another joint section activity coming up! The magnificent Gold Coast, Inland and Southern sections are hold-ing a Sports Marketing Event at the LA Kings Game on January 9. I encourage you to come and network with people from all over Southern California. Before the game, a business tour of the stadium will be held. And in only two months on the 6th of March, we have our amazing Section Leadership Conference! This year it will consist of equal parts of competitions, fun, and awesomeness. Furthermore, I encourage all of you to embrace the leader within you, and apply for Section Office. It is an ex-hilarating experience that will enable you to learn lifelong skills that will help you dominate in your career, and leave you much the wiser. Show the world what Future Business Leaders of America are truly about! Hope to see you soon at the Kings Game!

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N S E R V I N G T H E G O L D C O A S T S E C T I O N O F C A L I F O R N I A F B L A

DEVA

NG S

AMPA

T

By Jennifer Tran (Gold Coast Secretary/Treasure)

By: Leslie Chang (Gold Coast Vice President of Service)

TH

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Southern, Inland and Gold Coast Section Officers pose for a picture after closing session

UPCOMING EVENTS LA KINGS— January 9 Membership Dues—February 3 Gold Coast Section Conference —March 6 State Leadership Conference —April 15-18

SECTION NEWS


On September 26, chapter officers and advisers spent their Saturday at Gabrielino High School “fueling their future” at the Officers’ and Advisers’ Training Day. After introductions and playing a short ice breaker activity, members were dismissed to attend two rounds of workshops. One was specific to their officer positions and the second session was devoted to the state projects. While the chapter officers learned from the sec-tion officers, the advisers met to discuss issues specific to their chapter needs. Before lunch, officers were tested on FBLA knowledge in-cluding what they had learned at the workshops with a game of FBLA Jeopardy! The one hundred OAT Day attendees quickly got into the competitive spirit as they each fought to gain the most points. The day closed with a delicious Italian pasta lunch, and officers and advisers left with new connections, plans, and con-fidence for the 2009-2010 FBLA year.

this breathtaking event). This year, Gold Coast FBLA members will have the opportunity to be part of this float making magic. Working on the floats is a great bonding and net-

working experience, and not to mention a lot of fun! In addition, Rose Float decorating qualifies for the “Other” section in the Gold Coast Go Green Chapter

Project, so if chapters are able to provide at least five people for each shift on one particular day, they will be able to use this for their Decem-ber Go Green activ-ity.

It's that time of year again. Christmas? Why no, I mean studying time for the Section Leadership Conference! No matter what event you are competing in, there is a way to study for it. For the written examinations, I suggest asking your chapter officers for old tests that you can practice with. Also, be on the lookout for co mpr ehens ive r ev i ew books regarding your competition, such as a n y t h i n g o n t h e C o m p T I A certifications if you are competing in a technology related event. Once you have your materials to study from, find a nice quiet place away from your friends, computer, and phone to begin s tudy ing r igh t now. I f you procrastinate, you will not be able to reach your potential! If you put it off till tomorrow, the next day you will put it off again and it will lead to a snowball effect of procrastination. Finally, if you need any direction on what to do to get first place, talk to previous competitors who in that event that have placed. They will give you fantastic advice on what to do and what to study from. So crack open those books, and I'll see you up on stage, receiving that 1st place plaque!

Officer Adviser Training Day By: Angela Chang (Gold Coast Vice President of Membership)

By: Leslie Chang (Gold Coast Vice President of Service) It’s a big deal, the an-nual Tournament of Roses, when hundreds of girls from all around the Los Angeles area congregate in Pasadena in hopes of being selected the next Rose Queen. But even more important than the Rose Court are the Rose Floats: m a g n i f i c e n t structures on wheels that travel six miles in the traditional Rose Parade (January 1, 2010 marks

Getting Competitive By: Devang Sampat (Gold Coast President)

Send us your pictures, ideas, inputs, articles and more at

[email protected]

A Cut Above the Rest! OAT Day at Gabrielino HS

Work on floats just like these, while meeting other FBLA members!

Students from Walnut High School pose with their plaques

SECTION NEWS


November 11, 2009: Ayala High School's FBLA hosted an after school Movie Day with approxi-mately fifty people in atten-dance. Members watched "An Inconvenient Truth," an informa-tional documentary about global warming by Al Gore. This activity was done following guidelines given by CA FBLA's Goes Green State Project! Members enjoyed snacking on popcorn and drink-ing punch!

President’s Corner

November 14, 2009: Los Osos FBLA members, along with the FBLA members from Rancho Cucamonga High School, partici-pated in the Founder's Day Pa-rade. They held balloons and walked through the parade.

December 17, 2009: Letha Ra-ney Intermediate hosted their first school cleanup for FBLA Goes Green State Project!

What have the other chapters of the Inland Section been up to? Found out!

October 17, 2009: Centen-nial High FBLA members volunteered at a local ele-mentary school’s annual harvest festival. Members helped set up, clean up, and run booths. A booth was also set up to raise aware-ness of FBLA and for the March of Dimes campaign.

of Inland Section excellence, and to have fun. Utilize your free time to prepare for Section competi-tion, which is coming up around the corner. E-mail me for any question. And finally, enjoy your time in FBLA. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year!

L i n x i W u , P r e s i d e n t

As we reach the midpoint of this amazing FBLA year, I would like to thank all the chapters who are doing a great job so far. The state offi-cers are reciprocating your work by launching a series of new guides, recruiting mentor adviser, and creating new channels of communication. Our efforts show: California membership is the best in the nation at this time, and atten-dance at LDI-South increased to almost 600. Keep up the good work, and renew your energy to f inish the year strong. Apply to be a section officer to continue the legacy

Calendar Jan. 8—Section Officer Applications Deadline

Feb. 9—Inland Section Conference Registration

Deadline

Feb. 10—FBLA Adviser Appreciation Day

Feb. 27—Inland Section Conference @ Santiago

High School, Corona

Chapter Highlights - Ginny Wu

DECEMBER 2009 | INLAND SECTION VOL 2

Hello Inland Section FBLA!

Centennial High members volunteer at local elementary school

Ayala High School members take a picture before movie day

On September 26, chapter officers and advisers spent their Saturday at Gabrielino High School “fueling their future” at the Officers’ and Advisers’ Training Day. After introductions and playing a short ice breaker activity, members were dismissed to attend two rounds of workshops. One was specific to their officer positions and the second session was devoted to the state projects. While the chapter officers learned from the sec-tion officers, the advisers met to discuss issues specific to their chapter needs. Before lunch, officers were tested on FBLA knowledge in-cluding what they had learned at the workshops with a game of FBLA Jeopardy! The one hundred OAT Day attendees quickly got into the competitive spirit as they each fought to gain the most points. The day closed with a delicious Italian pasta lunch, and officers and advisers left with new connections, plans, and con-fidence for the 2009-2010 FBLA year.

this breathtaking event). This year, Gold Coast FBLA members will have the opportunity to be part of this float making magic. Working on the floats is a great bonding and net-

working experience, and not to mention a lot of fun! In addition, Rose Float decorating qualifies for the “Other” section in the Gold Coast Go Green Chapter

Project, so if chapters are able to provide at least five people for each shift on one particular day, they will be able to use this for their Decem-ber Go Green activ-ity.

It's that time of year again. Christmas? Why no, I mean studying time for the Section Leadership Conference! No matter what event you are competing in, there is a way to study for it. For the written examinations, I suggest asking your chapter officers for old tests that you can practice with. Also, be on the lookout for co mpr ehens ive r ev i ew books regarding your competition, such as a n y t h i n g o n t h e C o m p T I A certifications if you are competing in a technology related event. Once you have your materials to study from, find a nice quiet place away from your friends, computer, and phone to begin s tudy ing r igh t now. I f you procrastinate, you will not be able to reach your potential! If you put it off till tomorrow, the next day you will put it off again and it will lead to a snowball effect of procrastination. Finally, if you need any direction on what to do to get first place, talk to previous competitors who in that event that have placed. They will give you fantastic advice on what to do and what to study from. So crack open those books, and I'll see you up on stage, receiving that 1st place plaque!

Officer Adviser Training Day By: Angela Chang (Gold Coast Vice President of Membership)

By: Leslie Chang (Gold Coast Vice President of Service) It’s a big deal, the an-nual Tournament of Roses, when hundreds of girls from all around the Los Angeles area congregate in Pasadena in hopes of being selected the next Rose Queen. But even more important than the Rose Court are the Rose Floats: m a g n i f i c e n t structures on wheels that travel six miles in the traditional Rose Parade (January 1, 2010 marks

Getting Competitive By: Devang Sampat (Gold Coast President)

Send us your pictures, ideas, inputs, articles and more at

[email protected]

A Cut Above the Rest! OAT Day at Gabrielino HS

Work on floats just like these, while meeting other FBLA members!

Students from Walnut High School pose with their plaques

SECTION NEWS


memory, as some competitive events may ask questions that require memori-zation of technical terms. If you are pre-paring for a presentation, always remem-ber to practice in front of not only mir-rors, but also your family, friends and chapter members. The competition in February is fast approaching, so if you are aiming for the first place prize, start studying now, and ask around for assis-tance on special preparation tips and advices. Best of luck, Inland!

Hey, Inland Section, as you know, our section conference is coming up, as well as our first competitive events of the year. The conference will be a great opportunity to network with members from all over the region, but equally important, it will give you a chance to show off your business skills and knowledge. If you have not already started preparing for the competitions, it's never too late to plan now. Here are a few easy tips to follow: Talk to your chapter adviser to choose an event that best fits your interest; reserve thirty min-utes to an hour a day to study the test material and take the practice tests online; and make flash cards to aid your

Competition Preparation DECEMBER 2009

There are many great opportunities to be had if you decide to run! It is a great opportunity to become more involved in FBLA. If you are one of those people who feel that you love FBLA and feel you want to go more in depth, then you should definitely consider running for an officer position. For more information about running for office or for deadlines, please feel free to visit our website: inlandfbla.org and cafbla.org

Running for office is a commit-ment to say the least, but it can also be one of the best experiences of your high school career. To become an Inland Section officer there are some conditions that must be met and you will be required to campaign for the office that you wish to hold. There are several positions of office that you may run for:

President

Vice President of Programs

VP of Communications/Tech.

Secretary

Historian

Parliamentarian

Running for Office

potential officers sign up, they have an interview, they give a speech, all mem-bers vote, and the candidate with the most votes is elected as that officer for the coming year. However, this formula might not always be the best way to go. Consider these alterations to the for-mula:

1. Decide whether a process is actu-ally necessary: will an interview process give valuable information regarding the candidate, and will this information be used in the se-lection process?

2. Consider splitting up your election process of the officer positions: for example, you might want to ap-point half of the positions through the interview, and publicly elect the other half.

3. Consider allowing the adviser(s) to appoint officer positions: oftentimes, advisers will have valuable insight in how the chapter runs, and under-stand the skills needed in running a chapter more than the general mem-bers

Once you decide your officer team, they need to be trained; of course, they do have leadership skills already (that’s why they were elected), but these skills need to be furthered. The summer break is a prime opportunity to develop leadership skills. Consider holding a chapter officer summit – a day of planning and activities to promote bonding within the team, responsibility, and leadership skills. You can also use this day to plan your POW form, and your year’s activities. Also, this year, OAT Day will be occurring before summer, rather than after, giving officers further incentive to start early.

As a chapter, continuity is always essential. Your chapter might have seen its membership boom, its funds rise, and its projects completed; however, while this is indeed impres-sive, the sign of a particularly impressive chapter is its ability to stamp success onto the coming years. While you are working on making this year the best yet, keep in mind that one of your greatest responsibilities is preparing your chapter for success in the future.

One of the most important aspects of chapter sustainment is the officer elec-tion process. Not only must you make sure that the right people are chosen for the officer position, you must also develop leadership skill in the coming officer team. Every chapter knows about the general election process –

Sustainability within Chapters - Dav id Mao

- Nico le Hwang

- Chance Har vey

The Leadership Development Institute South was held on November 21-22 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency in Ir-vine. At LDI, the section officers of the Inland, Gold Coast, and Southern section were responsible for creating and organiz-ing different and innovative presentations to present to fellow FBLA members. There were a variety of different workshops ranging from Computer Design, Network-ing, Etiquette, Time Management, Rocket Arena, Public Speaking, and much more. When the workshops came to an end, LDI held many fun-filled night activities such as the March of Dimes Dance, Grand Prix Icebreakers, and Salsa Dancing Lessons! Also attending the event was a special guest speaker, Mr. Cary Trivanovich who performed his “Dance of Life”, a spectacu-lar dramatic piece, at closing session.

LDI and OAT Day Recap

- Ca ther ine Dang

This year, Inland Section Officer Training Day (OAT) was held at the University of Riverside. This year’s theme was “Fuel Your Future” We would like to thank the UCR PBL Officers by organizing our enter-taining icebreakers. Our section officers organized general FBLA workshops to inform our new school officers more about FBLA. Our OAT Day was a success with fun ice breakers, informative work-shops, an amazing lunch and tons of fun!

SECTION NEWS


ISSUE 2 DEC 7, 2009 WINTERBE INFORMED ABOUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST

Issue 2 Compiled by: Eric Chee

FUEL YOUR FUTURE!

[email protected]

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

NORTHERNSTAY CONNECTED WITH THE FBLANORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION

SECTION

Northern Section Conference 2010! The upcoming Northern Section Conference is surely going to be the greatest section conference to date! This year, the Northern Section officer team decided to take this year’s Sections to a new level. At this conference, FBLA members can still expect the various competitive events and, of course, breakfast offered there; however, what is a new addition to this year’s Section experience is the live entertainment!

YOUR OFFICIAL NORTHERN SECTION NEWSLETTER

Center High School in Antelope for the first time is going to be holding this year’s Section conference on March 6th.Sections is you’re key to opening the next step in leadership development at the state level. Northern Section chapters will compete in 60+ competitions to qualify for States. But Section conferences however are more than just for competitive events, but also a chance for members to run for office. The Northern Section would love to see many of you on stage this year. One of the most exciting parts of running for office is running for office! Campaigning not only helps you take that next step as a leader, but it’s a great way to get recognized and make new friends. Be sure to fill out the application which can be found on the CA FBLA website to plan your campaign now.

The new exciting additions to this year’s conference are the entertainers that will be performing after the competitive events. The Northern Section is proud to have Dr. Dave Hill, the hypnotist and 2nd Nature Dance Crew come to our Section conference. Dr. Dave Hill is a professional hypnotist. He's been on Myth Busters, and a couple of nationally syndicated TV talk shows. Watch as your fellow FBLA members transform in doing something they’ve never done before. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of the the lucky ones on stage! On top of that, prepare to see some amazing popping, locking and breakdancing from 2nd Nature Dance Crew. 2nd

Nature has be asked to attend this year’s Sections to show off some of the sickest moves to date. You don’t want to miss it. With all these exciting new features to this year’s Northern Section conference, be sure to save the date. We can’t wait to see everyone this year at Sections, and we wish you good luck at your competitive events!

IMPORTANT DATES: • Northern Section Conference ………….………..March 6th

• Section Registration forms due …..……………...January 15th

• Officer candidate forms due …..…………………….. January 8th

• California State Conference ……………..April 15th-18th

President’s Corner: Miguel Puentes Dr. Dave Hill, The Hypnotist

2nd Nature Dance Crew

I enjoined getting to meet all you who attended the Leadership Development Institute North. That was the greatest LDI that I’ve ever attended and it was thanks to the energetic and enthusiastic members that attended.

Its that time of the year when we are getting ready to go into vacation-mode. With finals, last minute shopping and family trips coming soon this time of the year becomes very stressful. Yet I know that you can all handle it. During your Winter vacation I challenge you to complete one of the state projects or even maybe a business degree. So enjoy your break and if you aren’t doing much one day log onto the CA FBLA website and see what you can do.

Finally I would like to invite all of you to Center High School on March 6th, 2010, for the Northern Section Conference. I’m excited to announce that this conference will be an unforgettable one. I hope to see you there.

Hello again everyone,

Sincerely,

Miguel Puentes

SECTION NEWS


ISSUE 2

Northern Section Members! For Your Consideration. . . . At one of our section meetings, the Northern Section officer team was reflecting on the talents of members in our Section. Running for office at the Section level is fun and sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose. The same is true for making the decision to run for State office. The officers looked into how we could use the talents of a member who runs for State office but does not win. In the process of reviewing our Section Bylaws, we discovered that there is no provision for pulling that person in to serve at the Section level after a statewide campaign which ends in defeat. As a result of that discussion, the Section parliamentarian drafted revised text for our Bylaws which would potentially allow a person to serve at the section level after a failed run at a State office. This fall Mrs. Stalley sent an email to each active chapter in our Section asking the members to cast a ballot—yes or no—on the proposed revision to our bylaws. Please read the changes and take a local vote to pass or reject this revision. It’s your turn to participate in the democratic process! Thank you for your serious consideration of this issue.

Sutter FBLA Kicks Off Community Service Project -Ben Bogert, Sutter Union High School

Sutter Union High School’s Future Business Leaders of America Officer Team visited the Hands of Hope facility in Yuba City, Ca and delivered 250 hoodies on October 14, 2009. Hands of Hope is a locally chartered non-profit corporation formed to provide supportive services to homeless families with children, seeking to alleviate the conditions leading to chronic homelessness. Sutter High FBLA hosted a “hoodie drive” for a week and a

half and collected 250 hoodie sweatshirts to donate to the Hands of Hope facility. Sutter’s FBLA Officer Team was able to tour the facility and got a chance to speak with Hands of Hope President Mike Mannshardt and Community Liaison Jan Sheppard. This was just one of many visits to Hands of Hope that Sutter FBLA has planned.


GOT A NEWS ARTICLE?Tell us what’s going on in

your FBLA chapter to be in the next North Star issue!

Submit Your News today! Contact: [email protected]

Above: Sutter Union High School visited Hands of Hope to host a “hoodie drive”

NORTHERNSECTION

FUEL YOUR

DEC 7, 2009 WINTERBE INFORMED ABOUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST


[email protected] FUTURE!


STAY CONNECTED WITH THE FBLANORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION

SECTION NEWS


The Southern SunThe Of�icial Newsletter of CA Southern Section FBLA

Winter 2009 Issue V - Page 1

FBLA annual leadership institute hosted amid Southern Section

Leadership De-velopment Institute (LDI) South was a huge success. This year we had one of the highest at-tendance rates, and I hope to see that trend follow for Section and State.

For those that went, I hope you all had a great time, as the section officers

Co

mm

emo

ra

tin

g L

DI’s

Su

cces

s Recap the adventures LDI granted ‘fueling your future!’

of Southern, Gold Coast, and Inland Sections worked hard to put the event together. However, I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about LDI in our news-letter and from all your friends.

For those who weren’t able to go, I strongly encourage you to attend next year.

Let’s take a glance

at upcoming events. Southern Section is proud to present the LA Kings Sports Marketing Event on January 9. This event will even in-clude a business tour of the Staples Cen-ter, including places only the basketball players would be able to visit. More information about this event will ar-rive soon, so be on

the lookout. Also, next year’s

Southern Section Application will be arriving shortly. We are working on publishing those very soon.

Please note that the 2009 Southern Section Conference has been moved to March 6. Hope to see each of you there!

By Erik NguyenPresident

[email protected]

Maximize your potentialFind out ways to divide your events to maximize your school’s potential.

One way your individual chapter suc-ceed is to have as many people qualify and compete in higher level conferences. To do so, divide the numerous numbers of events for stu-dents based on their willingness, talents and interests.

Students who will compete should un-derstand that this is another priority they must consider. Like a class, they should be willing to sacrifice time and effort to get to know the material.

Fortunately, the fruits of their success will be seen once they are recognized on top of a podium in front of hundreds of students across our district. Students who

show a strong passion and desire for par-ticular events should be given priority.

Furthermore, there are some students who stand out in their talents. Guide these

students to the events that they would do well in! There are mul-tiple math-related events, speech events and even language relat-ed events that talented students should be encouraged to join.

One way you can let them know of these kinds of events is by putting events into differ-ent categories that are easier for people to distinguish.

However, don’t simply let students apply just based on tal-

ent and skill. FBLA is here to provide an opportunity for everyone, so allow some spots to be taken by students who want to experiment or are interested.

Hope you succeed as a chapter, and see you at Southern Section Conference!

By Raymond LeeVice President

[email protected]

Expanding Interests Unsure how to approach the competitive events? Conduct some research to expand your knowledge and repre-sent your school

ISSUE 2

Northern Section Members! For Your Consideration. . . . At one of our section meetings, the Northern Section officer team was reflecting on the talents of members in our Section. Running for office at the Section level is fun and sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose. The same is true for making the decision to run for State office. The officers looked into how we could use the talents of a member who runs for State office but does not win. In the process of reviewing our Section Bylaws, we discovered that there is no provision for pulling that person in to serve at the Section level after a statewide campaign which ends in defeat. As a result of that discussion, the Section parliamentarian drafted revised text for our Bylaws which would potentially allow a person to serve at the section level after a failed run at a State office. This fall Mrs. Stalley sent an email to each active chapter in our Section asking the members to cast a ballot—yes or no—on the proposed revision to our bylaws. Please read the changes and take a local vote to pass or reject this revision. It’s your turn to participate in the democratic process! Thank you for your serious consideration of this issue.

Sutter FBLA Kicks Off Community Service Project -Ben Bogert, Sutter Union High School

Sutter Union High School’s Future Business Leaders of America Officer Team visited the Hands of Hope facility in Yuba City, Ca and delivered 250 hoodies on October 14, 2009. Hands of Hope is a locally chartered non-profit corporation formed to provide supportive services to homeless families with children, seeking to alleviate the conditions leading to chronic homelessness. Sutter High FBLA hosted a “hoodie drive” for a week and a

half and collected 250 hoodie sweatshirts to donate to the Hands of Hope facility. Sutter’s FBLA Officer Team was able to tour the facility and got a chance to speak with Hands of Hope President Mike Mannshardt and Community Liaison Jan Sheppard. This was just one of many visits to Hands of Hope that Sutter FBLA has planned.


GOT A NEWS ARTICLE?Tell us what’s going on in

your FBLA chapter to be in the next North Star issue!

Submit Your News today! Contact: [email protected]

Above: Sutter Union High School visited Hands of Hope to host a “hoodie drive”

NORTHERNSECTION

FUEL YOUR

DEC 7, 2009 WINTERBE INFORMED ABOUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST


[email protected] FUTURE!


STAY CONNECTED WITH THE FBLANORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION

SECTION NEWS


Jan. 9 LA Kings Sports Marketing Conference at Staples Center

Jan. 15 Skill events, school-site testing forms for section conference - REQUEST DEAD-LINE

Feb. 3 Membership deadline to be eli-gible for Section Conferences - MONEY RECEIVED

Feb. 9 Section Conference Registration - RECEIVED

Feb. 7-13 FBLA-PBL Week

March 1 Professional Membership Dues Online Registration - DEADLINE

March 1 Membership deadline to be eligible for State/National Conferences - MONEY RECEIVED

March 1 Individual Business Achieve-ment Awards Entries - NATIONAL DEADLINE

March 6 Southern Section Conference at University of California, Irvine

March 12 State Leadership Conference skill events school-site testing form - REQUEST DEADLINE

March 19 State Projects Recognition Forms, American Enterprise Project En-tries, Partnership with Business Project Entries, Community Service Project Entries - POSTMARKED

March 25 Online Conference Registra-tion closes - State Leadership Conference

March 25 State Leadership Conference Hotel Reservations - RECEIVED

April 6 All money for State Leadership Conference - RECEIVED

April 15-18 State Leadership Conference at Hyatt Regency, Irvine

FBLA Upcoming Events & Deadlines

Compiled By Emily TianPublic Relations Officer

[email protected] more deadlines, visit www.cafbla.org

Understand the benefits of an internship: Some benefits may include job shadowing opportunities, hands-on business experience, boosting your resume, and even as simple as getting paid!

Find businesses that offer internships: Most difficult step of the whole process. In the order from easiest to hardest, I would suggest...

Find connections (relatives, family friends, neighbors, even teachers) • Search for established programs (i.e. Bank of America Student Leaders) • Visit your school career center or counseling office (resources for internships, • jobs, and Regional Occupational Programs) Search the web (tedious, I know) • Pick up the phone (newspaper classified ads, Chamber of Commerce directory) •

Obtain the internship: You will probably need to submit a resume and cover letter and go through an interview process. Make sure that your resume and cov-er letter are professional, and convey your competency and passion for business.

Complete the internship successfully: This could include doing things such as wearing appropriate attire, arriving on time, and always following direc-tions.

Get recognition! Participate in the FBLA Internship Project due March 19. This is a very simple process of turning in your cover letter, resume, and thank you notes, writing a short blurb about your experience, and getting a form filled out by your employer.

A copy of the FBLA Internship Project application and more directions can be found at www.cafbla.org under “Document Library.”

Five simple steps to an InternshipEmployers always want to hire people with experience yet how does a pro-spective employee obtain experience without a job? Fortunately, there is an answer: simply �ind an internship.

Advice By Judy ParkSecretary/Treasurer

Professional Attire If an interview is required, remember to wear profes-sional business attire. Not only will you impress your superviser, but you may have a better opportunity of retaining, if not obtaining, the internship.

[email protected]

Issue V - Page 2Winter 2009

SECTION NEWS


SECTION NEWS

Do you go to see a movie be-cause you saw the trailer on T.V. and it intrigued you? In just that minute of preview, you have al-ready formed a bias about that movie as to whether it looks interesting or not, even though you have only glimpsed less than one percent of the movie.

In the same way, people form an opinion, or first impression, about someone within the first three seconds of a new encoun-ter…even if it’s just a glance. These first impressions can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo, making those first en-counters extremely important, for they set the tone for the all the relationships that follows.

So, whether in your career or social life, it’s important to know how to create a good first impression. Make those three seconds count.

Issue V - Page 3Winter 2009

The best solution to dissolv-ing boring meetings is trying a few icebreakers. Changing the substance of meetings and add-ing a fun twist will energize a group of teens like ourselves. Below are a few icebreakers’ directions to ease your meet-ings. Admittedly, a few are out-of-the-league in level of crazi-ness, but you’ll find yourself cleansed of those ridiculously tedious meetings!

“Screamers” - used to re-1. lieve initial tension and awkwardness. Group stu-dents into reasonable siz-es, then instruct them to scream as loud as they can (in unison) every time they find themselves looking

Breaking the iceHaving trouble conjuring interesting meetings? Well, “Die, Boring Meetings, Die!!!”

By Samuel YunParliamentarian

Networking in the business world and beyondHow to make a lasting �irst impression: make your �irst three seconds count

By C.C. GongPartner w/ Leader

Networking is a great way to expand the world you live in. And whether you’re talk-ing about LDI, a club social, or even a party, they’re all prime opportunities to meet new people and build a network of relationships. To do so, you must fight the temptation to just “hang out” with the people you already know.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like to network because the thought of talking with peo-ple you don’t know intimidates you, consider that somewhere in that sea of strangers is prob-ably a friend waiting to meet you for the very first time. Here are some general tips:

Take initiative. Introduce yourself first, and be yourself! Be curious and interested in whom your counterpart is. Give your undivided attention by maintaining steady eye contact. Don’t look over the shoulder.

Use the name of your new ac-quaintance frequently.

Establish a personal connec-tion, but be careful with humor and sensitivities. You don’t want to establish a barrier.

Most importantly, have fun! Be enthusiastic and cheerful, and take every opportunity to meet new people.

If there’s an awkward pause, just move! Say something along the lines of, “Well it was a plea-sure to meet you. I hope to see you around at the conference!”

If you’re speaking to a busi-ness professional, ask for a business card. If your acquain-tance is your peer, ask them for Facebook or Myspace pages, and don’t forget to add them.

Connections in the business world are crucial for success. Start building networks now. Who knows? You just might meet them again in the future.

into someone else’s eyes. Those who manage to es-cape the gazes of others are winners. “Animal Farm” - used 2. to randomize students into official teams. All are given specific animals and instructed to make those animal trademark noises/cries. Students then find others of the same spe-cies. At that point, it may be more like a raucous zoo than a meeting – but it can be a fun zoo! “Team Movie Pictionary” 3. - mix of both teamwork and charades. Each team’s members stand in a line facing one direction. The person in the back is given a movie title and must de-scribe that movie (using

only body gestures) to the next person in just 5-10 seconds. The next person passes on those same ges-tures to the person in front, and so on. After the chain of charades is passed to the front, the most front person guesses the name of the movie based on the gestures seen. “Like An Animal” - each 4. student thinks of a favorite animal and three charac-teristics that best describe that animal. Then, he finds an acquaintance, and tells that person how those three animal characteristics best describe his own personal-ity. You’ll even hear people describe themselves as “fuzzy”!

[email protected]

[email protected]

the californian, winter 2009

Documents

state officers

fbla state chapter membership

state newsfurther

state council

state leadership conference

marketing fbla

individual fbla chapters

membership recruitment